The Butterfly Effect
by Willow-Bee the Cat
Summary: With a misinterpreted prophecy and the intervention of one of the supposed boy-who-lived's relatives, the world-both Wizarding and Muggle-won't quite know what hit it. A Harry Potter Marvel Comics crossover.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own or make a profit from Harry Potter or Marvel Comics. This is a fan made work.

Pairing: Hannah/Neville-I think. Not sure yet, still considering my options. I'm leaning toward Luna or Hermione for Harry. Any opinion with good reasoning to back it up will be considered. Maybe Harry and two witches.

Spoilers: Up through the second limited series for Domino. I am generally of the opinion that the last decade of Marvel comics didn't happen. I like X-Force, I miss X-Force and Excalibur and X-Factor, and the man Tony Stark used to be. I even miss the old Peter Parker. As a result, though there will be spoilers for various things here and there, this takes place during the nineties, continuity wise. Everything for Harry Potter, because I don't know yet what I will and won't include.

* * *

Prologue

Dorea Beatrice Potter, nee Black, had never been the sanest of women. Not that her husband, Charlus Potter had cared about his wife's sanity. This was mostly because her insanity was not hereditary. After all, one wouldn't want an insane heir.

While the cause of Dorea's insanity was questionable, it was likely the result of a number of highly traumatic incidents in her youth. Witnessing one's older brother being murdered for the crime of being a squib had doubtless been horrifying for an eight year old. However, it was generally agreed-by Dorea's brother and sister, at least-that the sight of what had been done to their cousin, Cedrella, for marrying Septimus Weasley had been the event to push Dorea over the proverbial edge.

After many years of trying for a child, Dorea and Charlus had been overjoyed at the birth of their twins. James was everything one could want in an heir-healthy and using accidental magic within his first week of life. His twin sister, on the other hand, never showed any signs of magic.

Like several other members of the Black family, she was a seer. Even before her daughter had been born, Dorea had known that the girl would be a squib. But Dorea had allowed her husband to convince her that perhaps she'd been mistaken. Perhaps their daughter was merely a late bloomer or her accidental magic was so subtle that they didn't notice. After all, the girl had always been unusually lucky-even for a witch.

Though not precisely in touch with the same reality as the rest of the world, Dorea was not, in fact, pushed over the so-called edge until the day James received his first Hogwarts letter. In all the excitement, it had taken several minutes for James to notice that his sister had not received a Hogwarts letter and even longer for him to notice the devastated look upon his mother's face.

It was not until years after the fact that James questioned what had happened to his sister while he was away at his first year of Hogwarts. In fact, he didn't even question his sister's sudden illness and death until after his marriage to Lily. But by that time, Charlus and Dorea had seemingly been murdered by Death Eaters-although they never did find Dorea's body.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Remus Lupin felt the blood drain from his face. He stopped short, pushing the young girl whose hand he held behind him. There was no mistaking what had happened.

Part of him couldn't help but wonder how muggle neighbors could have ignored the sight-particularly in such a close knit community. The house in front of him was barely standing. The front door had been ripped off, part of the roof was missing, and several of the walls leaned in directions they shouldn't.

"Uncle Remy?" the girl said, dropping the ice cream cone she'd been carrying.

Remus drew his wand out. "Hannah, I need you to be quiet."

"Bu-"

Remus dropped her hand, moving his own hand to cover her mouth instead. He sniffed the air, allowing the wolf within him to analyze the scents. It was frighteningly easy to pick up the scent of his sister, Sylvie's blood. The scent of death permeated the air, almost overpowering another, much fainter scent.

Uncaring of what the muggles might see, Remus pulled his niece to him. He disapparated the two of them with a soft pop. Hannah's safety was much more important than walking into what was doubtlessly a trap set up by Fenrir Greyback.

* * *

The woman's eyes narrowed as an owl tapped on the window to her hotel room. She'd had as little to do with the Wizarding world as possible after what had happened. After all, who would want anything to do with a world where a woman could obliviate and abandon her own child without consequence for the crime of being a squib.

Perhaps the woman was a bit bitter-alright, very bitter, but it was difficult to forgive a thing like that. Thanks to her bitch of a mother she had very few memories from before she was twelve. Whatever had happened between her mother's poor obliviation and when she'd come to her senses, a little over a year later was still a mystery.

She opened the window, wondering who was writing to her. Less than a handful of people knew she still lived.

Closing the window behind the owl, she said, "I don't care what else you're supposed to do, you'll be a good birdy and wait for a reply."

The owl seemed to glare, but allowed the woman to remove the letter without protest. She read the letter quickly, then reread it, not wanting to believe what was written.

* * *

Remus paced, wondering if he'd done the right thing. But it wasn't like he had many other options. As a werewolf, the ministry would never allow him to care for Hannah. As it was, he could be sent to Azkaban for not turning her over to the "care" of the ministry immediately after his sister's death.

His former brother-in-law had made it quite clear that he wanted nothing to do with Sylvie or Hannah. For a moment Remus cursed his sister's ignorance. She'd had no idea what her husband being a member of the Friends of Humanity had truly meant. Sylvie had told Jacob Abbott exactly what she and Hannah were after Hannah had used accidental magic to make the cookie jar float over to her. Jacob and Sylvie had been divorced soon after that.

With Sylvie dead, Remus and Hannah were the only living members of the Lupin family left. His mother had been disowned after she'd refused to abandon Remus for being a werewolf, which meant none of them would be willing to take Hannah in.

Should the ministry get their hands on Hannah, she would be shipped off the a magical orphanage. Remus suppressed a shudder. No child should live in one of those hell holes. Even muggle orphanages from centuries before were better than that.

Perhaps she was not the best choice. After all, Sylvie had been raising Hannah for a reason. However, she was the only choice left before Remus did something illegal.

At the sound of a knock at the door, Remus raced over. He looked through the window to make sure it was who he was expecting, then opened the door.

"Neena," he said by way of greeting, remembering quite well James's warning about how much she hated her name.

"Remus," said the woman, showing herself in. She ground out, in an accusing voice, "You said she'd be safe with your sister."

Remus closed the door behind Neena. "I didn't think Greyback would go after my family. He's ignored me for years-since before the war was over."

Neena's eyes widened. "Did Greyback…"

"No. Hannah was with me at the time."

"Where is she?"

"In my room, sleeping."

* * *

Neena allowed Remus to lead her to the kitchen. He'd certainly aged-and not well. There was more gray in his hair than a man under thirty should have. And if not for the fact that she knew he was a werewolf, Neena would have assumed he was ill and frail.

After the death of her brother, Remus had been her only contact with the magical world-though she knew Sirius and Peter knew how to contact her. This was only the second (third, if her trip to visit James and Lily's graves a month after their deaths counted) time she'd returned to the Wizarding world since she'd been left to die by her mother. He'd been the one to send her a letter, nearly a decade before, telling her of her brother and sister-in-law's death. Remus also sent her an annual letter with bits of important information and a new picture of Hannah.

She sipped her tea, listening as Remus explained exactly what had happened, a feeling of dread growing within her. Neena had a very strong feeling that this would not end well-for her, at least.

"I can't take her," protested Neena. "Do you have any idea how dangerous my life is? I'm a mercenary, you know that. I have enemies that would have no problem with using Hannah to get to me or killing her for the hell of it. There is no room for children in my life."

"Who else is going to take her? You know I can't," snapped Remus. "She'll be sent to a magical orphanage. I know you remember the stories about those from our childhoods. They make muggle, turn of the century workhouses look like paradise in comparison as you well know."

"But she'll be alive."

Remus merely glared at her, making his feelings on the subject quite obvious.

"What about Black?" asked Neena, wondering if Remus was on the outs with the man. "He's Harry's godfather. Surely he can take in a second child."

"Sirius Black is in jail," growled Remus, his eyes becoming slightly more yellow than brown. "He's the one that sold out Lily and James to _You-Know-Who_."

The feeling of dread solidified. "Then who has Harry?"

"Lily's sister, Petunia. I'm not allowed within five miles of the place because of my… _affliction_." Remus shook his head. "Be grateful you never met the woman. She's more rabid about magic than most members of the Friends of Humanity are about mutants. She suggested that Lilly and James be burned at the stake during their engagement party."

"Can't you take them both and disappear into the muggle world?" Neena suggested, grasping at straws.

"If I do that, the ministry will find me, give me the dementor's kiss, and send both Harry and Hannah back to the places we're trying to rescue them from."

Neena sighed. "Where does Petunia live. I'll go check on Harry."

* * *

Neena brushed back a strand of pitch black hair behind her ear, considering that this was not a good idea. Then again, most of the things she'd done over the years had been very, very bad ideas.

Armed with Petunia's married name, it had been laughably easy to track her down. She couldn't help but think that she would be much better at protecting Harry and Hannah than whoever had set this up.

Neena scolded herself. Her life was too dangerous for children. That was why…

But she wasn't with the Six Pack anymore. After what had happened, the Six Pack had, understandably, disbanded. She could pick and choose which jobs she took.

With two children, she'd have to take less dangerous, lower paying jobs. Jobs that wouldn't take up as much of her time. But that was more than doable. After all, she had quite a bit of money saved up, she could afford it. And it was only until Harry and Hannah went off to Hogwarts. Once they were away for most of the year, she could go back to taking the sorts of jobs she normally took.

Neena scolded herself again. She shouldn't be thinking such things. She didn't even know for sure that Harry had to be removed from the Dursleys.

She sighed. Who was she kidding? Neena was quite sure that Harry couldn't stay with these people. According to a copy of James's will that she'd managed to get from Gringotts, both he and Lily had expressly forbidden Harry to be placed with the Dursleys, in the event of their deaths. Her brother hadn't been the sort to do something like that without good reason.

* * *

Harry Potter did what he could to take the most direct route to number four, Privet drive as possible. He'd lost Dudley and Piers several minutes before.

Normally, he would do what he could to avoid the hose until dinner. However, Dudley was sleeping over Piers house that night, which meant that if he could get to his… house before they found him, he'd only have to worry about Aunt Petunia and being assigned more chores. At least until Uncle Vernon came back from work. But Harry had decided to worry about that later.

The nine year old walked down the street, glancing around furtively. He was less than a house away when an unfamiliar car pulled up in front of number four.

A woman in a purple business suit with a black blouse stepped out of the car. Her face was covered by a large pair of sunglasses. Amazingly enough, her skin was as pale as his own. He'd never seen anybody with skin as pale as his before.

She looked at Harry-at least he thought she was looking at him, then took off her sunglasses. The first thing Harry noticed was the strange black spot around her left eye. The second was how her eyes matched her suit. The third… the third thing Harry noticed was how… strangely familiar the woman seemed to be.

"Harry?" she said. "Harry Potter?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry, wondering what was going on.

"I'm Beatrice Winters, your social worker. Is your aunt at home? I need to speak to her."

* * *

There was something about this social worker that bothered Petunia Dursley greatly. But other than that strange black spot, Ms. Winter seemed perfectly normal. Perhaps it was the way she held herself, or the silent disapproval Petunia could swear she felt.

"How long has your nephew been living with you?" asked Ms. Winter.

"Eight years-since November of eighty one," said Petunia.

"Mmm. One of Harry's teachers was concerned about his size."

"I can't help it if the boy is small for his age," Snapped Petunia, before she had a chance to think things through.

"Uh huh," said Ms. Winter. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that Harry is small for his age? There is a difference between malnourishment and being a bit on the small side. Harry is malnourished."

"Bu-"

"Judging by pictures, your son and husband have much more food than they need." She changed subjects. "Why are there no pictures of Harry in this house? It seems to me that he should be in at least one or two of the pictures." Another pause. "And do you really think I'm so stupid as to believe that that room full of broken toys belongs to Harry? Those toys were all labeled Dudley, not Harry, and that room hasn't been lived in for years. Where does your nephew really sleep?"

"I-I never wanted the little freak!" Petunia finally managed to spit out. "But tha-that man forced us to take him in. I am not going to take food out of my family's mouth for that thing. And that freak should be grateful we even took him in, let alone gave him a place to sleep and clothing to wear."

Ms. Winter shook her head. "You shouldn't have said that, Petunia. You really shouldn't have said that."

Petunia paled when the woman pulled a gun out from under her suit jacket. "W-what are you doing?"

"Here's how this is going to work," said Ms. Winter, something about her expression terrifying. "I'm going to take Harry with me. You'll forget that I ever existed. Report him missing or don't, I could care less. You tell anybody what happened today and you'll wish I'd just shot you. Understand?"

"What do you-"

"Do you understand me?" Ms. Winter said, her voice low and dangerous.

"How dare-"

"I suggest you shut up, before I decide to kill you anyway."

It was at that moment that Petunia heard the front door open and then close. A moment later, Vernon said, "Pet, I'm home."

"Help!"

* * *

"Ms. Winter, are you going to kill me as well?"

Neena turned, wondering how Harry had managed to sneak up on her. It was a feat few could manage.

He stood next to the door leading from the kitchen to the back yard, just out of reach. Disturbingly, he seemed curious more than anything else. None of the expected tears or anger-although Neena was relatively sure the child was slightly frightened.

"Don't plan on it, no."

"Why?"

"They-well, they got in the way and-"

"That wasn't what I asked. Why do you care at all?" Harry tilted his head to the side in a rather canine manner, ignoring the slowly spreading pool of blood from his aunt's body and the… remains of his uncle. "You're not really a social worker… And I don't think your name is Ms. Winter."

She had to hand it to the kid; he was handling this much better than she would have at that age. And he actually asked good questions.

"We're family. James Potter was my twin brother." Neena paused. "If I'd known you were going to be sent to live with these creatures I would have done something sooner."

"Who was I supposed to go to?" Harry stepped closed-though still out of reach.

"Sirius Black. He was your godfather. I only found out he was in jail earlier today."

After a long moment, Harry said, "You look like me."

"Yeah, I do."

"What's your real name?"

Neena let out a mental sigh. He'd find out sooner or later. If nothing else, her true name was on the Potter family tapestry-well, unless she'd been blasted off. After all, her mother had been a member of the House of Black.

"Delphinea Potter. James used to call me Neena. Don't even think about calling me Delphinea."

"Am I going to live with you now?" Surprisingly, Harry bit his lip, looking much more like the shy boy she'd met earlier that day.

"Of course you are."

What a strange little boy. Neena wasn't sure whether to blame her genes or his father's. After all, Nathan had never been what she would consider normal.


	3. Chapter 2

Pairings: Hannah/Neville, Harry/Hermione or Harry/Sally-Anne Perks, unless I'm given a better choice. All opinions will be considered, but unless they're backed up with good reasons, I think I'll be going with these pairings. Please tell me if you'd prefer Hermione or Sally-Anne and why, because I'll need to know before Hogwarts starts.

Author's Notes: Firstly, I know some of you are going to question the Sally-Anne Perks thing, but I have my reasons. She appeared in book one, but was nowhere to be found during book five, when she should have been seen. Her name was skipped over by the testers during OWLs. I know I'm not the only one wondering what happened to her.

Secondly, some of you will question the appearance thing later on. I am so happy to be done with my huge project (handed in yesterday), that I actually looked up how to figure out what hair color a person could have based upon genetics. By the way, Tyler Dayspring totally shouldn't have had such white blonde hair. Even if he'd gotten one gene for blonde hair from his mother, he would have, at best, gotten a gene for red hair from his father. But that's comics for you. If I remember correctly, he had brown hair for an issue or two, which would have made so much more sense.

Thirdly, I know that Neena coughDominocough isn't quite in character. Well, technically she isn't her usual snarky self, but consider the circumstances and who she's talking to. She'll start being her usual self in the next chapter.

And now, for something much more on topic…

* * *

Chapter 2

Harry happily followed Neena into a small cabin in the middle of a forest. Not only had a relative rescued him from the Dursleys, but she'd done something he'd only dreamt about.

Not that Harry had ever really intended to kill the Dursleys. They weren't worth going to jail for, after all.

And he did have to admit that the woman was a bit scary. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to kill people the way she did Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon without seeming to care at all. Would she expect him to kill as well? Did he even want to kill anybody? Harry decided to worry about that later.

"Remus, I'm back," announced Neena as she showed Harry into the cabin.

"How did it go?" asked a male voice from another room.

"I need to get the kids out of here tonight," said Neena, walking into the room the male voice had come from. "The bodies shouldn't be found until tomorrow at the earliest, but there's no reason to take chances."

Harry edged over to the door to what appeared to be the kitchen. Other than part of his head, his body was positioned so that the man wouldn't be able to see it.

The kitchen was small and brightly lit with a circular table. At the table sat a blonde girl with her hair in pigtails, eating something that looked and smelled good. Harry was pretty sure she was about his age. The man-Remus-was tall and sickly looking with graying blonde hair.

"Do you have enough time for dinner? There should be enough for all of us."

There was a long pause before Neena said, "Sure. Why not? After dinner we'll do the spell."

"Are you a witch as well?" asked the little girl.

"Squib. But I have enough magic for this. Harry, come on in here and get some dinner."

"Magic isn't real," said Harry. He paled, then began to curse mentally. Why did he have to say something like that?

"Magic is too real," said the girl. "I'm a witch and Uncle Remy's a wizard."

"Hannah, let me handle this," said Remus. "Harry, have you ever done something you couldn't explain? Something that no human should ever be able to do?"

Harry bit his lip, thinking. "I-I ended up on the roof of my school once and I still don't know how I got there. And I turned my teacher's hair blue. No matter how many times my hair get's cut, it goes back to normal by the next day. Aunt Petunia tried to make me wear an awful sweater once but it kept shrinking until it was too small." Harry paused, wondering if he should mention it. Finally, he said, "And if I concentrate really hard on not being noticed, people walk right past me and can't see me at all."

Neena nodded. "Sounds like magic to me. Can you make your hair grow at will?"

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. I just didn't like the haircuts Aunt Petunia made me get. You're really magic?"

Hannah nodded enthusiastically while Remus said, "Yes, we are."

* * *

Neena couldn't help but wish that she'd made Petunia and Vernon Dursley suffer a bit more before she'd killed them as she watched Harry eat. Harry's eyes had been so wide and shocked when he saw the size of the portion of food Remus had given him. The boy had even been happy about being given a large glass of milk. What kind of child liked milk that much?

She was far too conflicted to decide how she felt about both Hannah and Harry's childhoods to this point. Neither had had an easy life-though Harry had certainly been much worse off. However they were alive, whole, and sane. Neena could honestly say that if she'd cared for them from infancy onward, that likely would not have been the case. She couldn't honestly say that they would have had better lives, had she raised them.

"What sort of spell are you going to do?" asked Hannah. "I thought Squibs couldn't do spells."

"What's a Squib?" asked Harry.

"I'm a Squib," said Neena. "It means that my parents had magic, but I didn't get enough magic from them to be able to do most wanded spells. Technically, what the four of us will be doing is the completion of a spell from nearly a decade ago. Hannah, do you know what fostering is?"

"It's when somebody with magic gives their child to somebody else to be raised." Hannah paused, biting her lip. "Mom wasn't really my Mom and Dad wasn't really my Dad. They were my foster parents."

The Wizarding world could be amazingly complicated and strange when it came to certain things. Neena was generally of the opinion that wizards and witches had magic at the cost of common sense. One such example of a lack of sense was the foster system used in Magical Britain. The system bore little, if any resemblance to its non-magical counterpart.

"Why not just adopt?" asked Harry.

"Because, the Wizarding world doesn't recognize adoption," explained Remus. "The magical community we're part of-the Wizarding World-is very biased and prejudiced. Most witches and wizards aren't willing to care for children other than blood relatives. Bloodlines are so important that non-magical forms of adoption became illegal because of the old aristocratic families. They don't want their wealth or power going to those they feel are beneath them."

"Oh," said Harry.

"I have many enemies. Powerful enemies," Neena said softly. "So to protect my children, I hid them somewhere nobody would ever consider looking; the Wizarding world."

"I thought you said you were James Potter's sister," pointed out Harry. "Surely your enemies would have thought to go after your brother."

Hannah's eyes widened. Her gaze flickered toward Harry's forehead before she blushed. Obviously she'd heard about the ridiculous "boy-who-lived" drivel.

"I didn't lie about that. James was my twin brother. The only people still living who know about my connection to the Wizarding world are in Azkaban or this room. I gave my son to James for him to raise and my daughter to the sister of a friend of the family." Neena paused. "The Wizarding world was at war. I had hoped that at least one of you would survive the war intact."

"B-but Harry and I don't look anything alike," Hannah managed to protest.

"That was part of the spell we used," said Remus. "I was there when the spell was used on both of you. the spell itself is part glamour part memory charm." Noticing that Harry was about to say something, Remus said, "And before you ask, the spell has no name. At least not one we were able to locate. We found it in one of your grandmother's old dark arts books. Though the spell isn't dark when all the participants are willing, if the ministry ever found out that it was used, Neena and I would both be sent to Azkaban-that's the Wizarding prison."

"Memory charms are illegal unless done by a licensed Obliviator and only if the Ministry of Magic approves," said Hannah.

"Which is why we'd end up in Azkaban if the government found out what we'd done," said Neena.

"What does this spell thing do? I mean, I think I can figure out what a memory charm is, but what's a glamour?" asked Harry.

"It's an illusion so real that even inanimate objects believe it," said Remus. "If an adult was glamoured to look like an infant, the person could wear baby clothing without ill effect. That's how powerful and real the illusion is."

"Oh."

"The glamour part of the spell made you look like Lily and James's natural child and Hannah look like Sylvie and Jacob Abbott's daughter," explained Neena. Did children always ask so many questions? "And the memory charm part of the spell made everybody remember that Lily and Sylvie had been pregnant and given birth, though neither of them had. When the spell is removed, the memory charm will still be there. That means that you two won't be Harry Potter and Hannah Abbott anymore, but everybody will still remember that Harry Potter and Hannah Abbott existed."

"Who will we be, then?" asked Hannah.

"Hmm. Remus, does the Hogwarts registry use the mother or father's surname when the parents aren't married?"

"Father's name. A Muggle-born in my year was quite put out that her professors insisted on using her father's surname. He'd left before she was born and had never even offered to marry her mother, if I remember correctly."

"Then you'd be Henry and Hannah Dayspring," said Neena. "Lily insisted on calling you Harry for some reason-I'm not sure exactly why."

"This glamour thing, how long was it supposed to last?" asked Harry.

"Unless the spell is taken off, it could last hundreds of years. It would even affect any children you might have." Remus picked the dirty dishes up off the table and into the sink. "If we're going to do this tonight, it'll have to be soon."

* * *

Hannah leaned against Harry, tiredly. They were on a train to London with Neena. This was the third time they'd changed their mode of transportation in as many hours. Neena had said something about making it more difficult for them to be tracked.

While they were on their way out of the country, Remus had stayed behind to help throw any pursuers off the trail. Something about it being more suspicious if he disappeared.

Right after they'd left Remus's cabin, Neena had taken them to a small clothing store. While Hannah's clothing had still fit, Harry's had not. The rags he'd been wearing were much too short for his new frame and the duct taped shoes too small for his feet. While both her and Harry's appearance had changed when the glamour was taken off, Harry had changed far more than she had.

The only way to describe it was that he'd sprouted. When they'd first met, Harry had been several inches shorted than she was, he was now two inches taller than her and worryingly thin. His hair had darkened to the point that it was truly black instead of a brown so dark it seemed black. His hair was also less messy and more… shaggy in appearance. His glasses were gone and, according to Harry, he could now see better without his glasses than he'd been able to the day before with his glasses. Instead of green, his eyes were now the same shade of purple as Neena's. His chin was now less pointed and more square while his cheekbones had risen slightly.

Hannah's changes had been less dramatic but no less noticeable. Her face had changed from round to heart shaped while her nose had become smaller and her cheekbones higher. Her eyes were still blue, although Hannah could have sworn that they were now more gray than blue. Her skin was now just as pale as Harry's, though for some reason there was a smattering of freckles across her face. She'd shrunk an inch or so. Her hair was no longer blonde, instead it was a reddish brown Remus had called auburn.

She's always known that she was being fostered by Sylvie Abbott, but she's never expected to meet the woman who'd given birth to her, let alone find out that she had a brother. A very, very famous brother.

Her brother was the _boy-who-lived_. Her brother had killed _You-Know-Who_. Hannah had no idea how to feel about that. Sylvie had always talked about Harry Potter as if he was a great, invincible hero while Remus had spoken about Harry Potter and his parents as real people.

Harry didn't seem like the triumphant hero. He was nice to her and shy-when he wasn't asking a thousand questions-and had the strangest sense of humor. Although Hannah had to admit that some of the things he said were very funny.

But Remus had known the potters personally. She had to admit that he was likely the one to know more about Harry Potter-uh, Dayspring, than anybody else she knew. Well, other than Harry himself.

Hannah let out a yawn before resting her head on Harry's shoulder. He stiffened for a moment-as he had every time she touched him-before wrapping an arm loosely around her waist.

The only conclusion Hannah could come to was that Harry wasn't at all like what the Wizarding world thought he was. Whoever the _boy-who-lived_ was supposed to be, wasn't the person Harry was. Which meant that she shouldn't treat him like she would the _boy-who-lived_, she should treat him like Harry, her brother.

The only problem was, Hannah wasn't sure who Harry was. Not yet, at least.

* * *

Neena double checked the passports she'd gotten for the children before hustling them onto a ferry to Calais. She's decided early on that public transportation was the way to go-at least with two children tagging along.

The passports had been obtained from one of her contacts in Manchester. If nothing else, the man could be trusted to make some of the most believable forgeries she'd ever seen.

Harry and Hannah quickly settled into their seats, happily talking about… Watership Down? A book about rabbits, from what she'd heard of the conversation.

Neither Harry nor Hannah seemed to mind having a sibling suddenly appear. In fact, the two were getting along amazingly. Harry was acting downright protective of Hannah. Neena wasn't quite sure how to take that.

What was she doing? She'd given them up for good reason. There were some people that really shouldn't be parents, and she was one of them. Even without her enemies, she was not the sort of people a person would trust to raise a child. She couldn't provide a stable home. She wouldn't always be there for them.

But they were her children. She would do anything and everything within her power to make sure they were safe and had a life much better than her own. The only example she had that she could actually follow was Logan's. If not for Logan… Neena was quite sure that she would have eventually died in the fighting pits long ago.

Maybe she could ask Logan for advice.

Or Nate. He was their father, after all. And anybody who saw Nathan with a child knew how much he loved kids.

Of course, there was the not so minor problem of if he even knew about the children or not. Neena had never quite been sure. She'd never said anything about being pregnant and had left the group when she was four months pregnant, less than a year after she'd joined the Six Pack, only to come back to the Six Pack-then the Wild Pack-two months after Harry and Hannah were born.

Nathan had been the only one not to question why she was leaving for so long. While Hammer had disparaged her for her unexplained decision and G.W., Kane, and Theo questioned her Nate had merely watched, an unreadable (even for him) expression on his face. He'd said nothing when she'd returned to the team as well.

As a telepath it was entirely possible that he'd read her mind and decided not to stop what she was planning. Of course, Nathan's telepathic and telekinetic abilities were iffy at best. Or maybe he'd just known that she wouldn't answer any of his questions.

It was rather obvious that Nathan would need to be told about the twins. From what she remembered, the mutant gene was inherited much the same way magic was. It was already obvious that Harry and Hannah had inherited her magic. It stood to reason that they would be mutants as well.

She still wasn't sure exactly how mutant powers worked on the genetic level. Would they be telepath/telekinetics like their father? Or would their powers be entirely different? If they were even slightly telepathic or empathic, Neena knew she would have to bring them to Nathan for training. Telekinesis she could deal with, hearing voices she could not.

And they would have to use the Dayspring name. At least they would while they were at Hogwarts. She knew that the name would catch his attention-particularly if it was connected to her.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: How many people remember who Johann Shmidt or Synthia Shmidt is/was? Before you ask, I am not going to answer why I'm asking these questions.

Ok, timeline wise, this story begins a couple months before Wolverine joins up with the X-Men. By the time Harry and Hannah start Hogwarts, Kitty Pryde should be in the picture somewhere and a year or two later, the New Mutants will show up. I know that the timeline's a bit… messed up, but we're talking about rationalizing comic book time. If there are any glaring mistakes, please tell me.

And thirdly, the entire thing about the Grangers was inspired by the character Bob, Agent of HYDRA. Those of you who know who that character is and love him like I do… Wow, you're as crazy as I am. As for Hermione's schooling, I have nothing against that particular method, though I do feel that something such as that would explain her attitude towards school and her teachers.

Fourthly, I know this chapter is a bit on the short side, but I had to cut it because if I hadn't, it would have been monstrously huge. I'm sorry about that and I'll try to post the next chapter sometime soon. I have a midterm on Friday, so I won't be able to post anything at all until after that. But luckily, next week is Spring Break.

Pairings: Hannah/Neville, Harry/Sally-Anne, and Luna Lovegood/Dean Thomas unless I get a real good reason for a different pairing.

* * *

Chapter 3

"Mum, can Hannah and I get a book to read on the flight?"

Neena flinched, leaning against a pillar. Harry had called her mum. Harry thought of her as his mother. Wordlessly she handed him enough money for several books.

"G-get a couple books. And make sure they're in English before you buy them."

Harry gave her a worried look before grabbing Hannah and dragging her off to a souvenir shop that looked to contain books and newspapers as well. They had a little over half an hour before their flight from Paris to New York would start boarding.

It had been less than a week since she'd taken them and Harry was calling her mum. Harry thought of her as his mother. Hannah was much more reserved, and seemed to take pains to avoid having to call her anything. But then, maybe it was a reflection of how they were raised.

It had taken a surprisingly short amount of time to decide what to do. She knew where Logan was and had no idea where Nate was. Once in the United States she'd meet Logan and try to figure out how she was going to raise the twins. Nate would be a bit more difficult to find.

The best she could come up with was to leave him a message. There were several different places that she could send a message to and trust that he would eventually receive it. Of course, it might very well be months before he got the message. For a moment she considered just using an owl. But that thought was quickly dismissed. Yes, he'd get the letter within the week, but he certainly wouldn't know what to do with it and would have endless questions when next they met-if he actually trusted that the letter was from her.

Either way, she'd have to tell Nate about the Wizarding world-assuming he didn't know. He'd question where the children went off to for the school year and she couldn't ask them to hide their magical abilities from him.

* * *

"Neena, what the hell're you doing?"

"I don't know. I just don't know," sighed Neena.

She glanced at the children playing a makeshift game of tag several yards away. She and Logan had agreed to meet at his cabin in the middle of the Canadian wilderness.

As if sensing that Neena wouldn't say anything more on the subject after her brief show of weakness, Logan changed the subject. "Where did the boy get that scar? Doesn't seem to be healing right."

That gave Neena pause. She hadn't given the scar on Harry's forehead more than a passing glance. Now that she thought about it… Well, one more thing to work out before Hogwarts.

She'd considered sending the twins to a different school, but Hogwarts was one of the best magical schools in the world. Which, in Neena's opinion said a great deal about the lack of quality magical education. And the twins were still Potters-through her if nothing else. Potters had been going to Hogwarts since it was founded.

"Eight years ago."

"Logan looked stunned. "It shoulda healed or killed him by now."

"Could you watch the kids? I need to go into town."

* * *

"See, these are rabbit tracks. These are the front feet and these are the back," Hannah explained, kneeling next to the afore mentioned tracks.

"What're you two up to?"

Hannah and Harry turned to look at the man Neena had introduced as Mr. Logan, one of her friends. He was rather big, hairy, and according to Harry, scary.

"Showing Harry how to track. He's never been in a forest before."

"Who taught yah?"

"Uncle Remy. He takes me hunting and camping all the time."

"Huh," said a sleepy voice, the person it belonged to not quite catching what she'd said.

Neena tried not to let her temper get the better of her. "Remus, get up off your ass and tell me how the Killing Curse works."

"Uh… it's based on legilimency. All the unforgiveables are based on legilimency."

"Legal-what?"

"Legilimency. It's magical telepathy. Telepathy is-"

"I know what telepathy is. Wait-what unforgiveables?"

"The three unforgiveable curses. Use of any of the three on a human being is a one way ticket to Azkaban."

"Oh." Once more, Neena cursed her mother. Obviously this had been one of the things obliviated from her memories. "How do they work?"

"The Imperius Curse gives the castor control over the victim's mind. Only the particularly strong willed have a chance of fighting it off, and even then, few manage it. It clouds the victim's mind, inducing euphoria to the point that the victim will do anything the castor orders them to do.

"The Cruciatus Curse," continued Remus. "Or the pain curse is a torture curse. It fool's the victim's mind into thinking that all-and I do mean all-of their nerves are feeling pain at the same time. It's been known to drive people insane if they're under it long enough."

"And the Killing Curse?"

"It makes the victim's mind believe that the body is dead, resulting in the mind shutting down the heart, lungs, and finally the brain itself."

"Does it leave a mark?"

"Not when used on a sentient being. The point of impact explodes when used on plants and inanimate objects. Is something wrong with Harry?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe."

* * *

Neena glanced over at where Harry and Hannah were curled up on a couch that really couldn't hold two sleeping children. She had gotten back to the cabin several minutes before.

"I need to find Nate. Immeadiately."

"They're his, then."

She didn't bother to acknowledge the distate in Logan's voice. Logan and Nate didn't get along well at all.

"Can you watch Harry and Hannah for a week or two?"

"Why do yah have to find Cable? This ain't about them being his."

"Harry… Harry should have died when he got that scar." A long pause. "I need Nate's help."

A sigh. "What've you taught the kids so far?"

"I was too busy getting them out of Europe to teach them anything useful." She looked at the children. "Nothing too strenuous until Harry's in better health. I'll teach them to use weapons myself."

* * *

Most girls Hermione's age would have been quite happy with this task. After all, most ten year olds loved watching a toddler. It was like having a living doll.

But Hermione Granger was not a normal girl. She had better things to do with her day than to baby sit some brat while her mother gave the girl's nanny a root canal. As if Hermione cared about the daughter of some important HYDRA agent or some such-she wasn't really sure, Hermione had tuned out her mother after she heard the dreaded words: baby sitting.

Most of her parents' clients were HYDRA agents after all. The Grangers were the only dentists that HYDRA sent their agents to-again, Hermione hadn't been paying much attention, but from what she understood, HYDRA only offered partial dental and the Grangers were the only dentists that were willing to travel around the world to fix the teeth of members of a terrorist group that had once been associated with Nazis. Well, for what HYDRA was willing to pay, at any rate.

It certainly didn't help that the child had very little command of the English language. It seemed that Maren Shmidt knew all of four words in English. However, for the past hour and a half, the girl had been babbling in incomprehensible German.

Hermione glared at the little girl that was speaking what sounded like nonsense to her. "I'm trying to read."

Maren blinked before started to talk again.

"Be quiet!" snapped Hermione, keeping her voice just low enough that it wouldn't carry outside the room. "I need to read this for class."

Admittedly, Hermione was home schooled by her parents, who were always willing to accommodate their daughter should she need more time for a project-not that she ever did. However, she'd been assigned to read the book, and read she would. Even if she had to find some way to keep the little terror quiet.

* * *

Neena absentmindedly thumbed through a menu, her mind racing. It had taken longer than she would have wanted to get into contact with Nate and arrange a meeting. They had arranged to meet for lunch, though Neena would have preferred something a bit more private.

She'd arrived early-much earlier than she normally would have. But Harry's life could well be on the line. If Nate couldn't help, she would have to head back into the Wizarding world to find somebody that could.

Magic was a fickle thing, but a legilimency based curse that had failed to kill her son was too much of a coincidence.

"Dom," said a low male voice as a large man slid into the chair across from her.

Nate looked much the same as he had when she'd last seen him. Although there was a bit less brown and much more gray in his hair.

"Nate," acknowledged Neena. Being called Dom instead of Neena or her codename Domino was not something she'd expected. But perhaps after leaving her and the rest of the Six Pack to die, Neena would have been too familiar and Domino too formal.

"You look well," said Nate.

Neena's eyes narrowed, but she didn't rise to the bait. This was going to be awkward, she could feel it. After a long moment, she decided to just say it.

"I think our son already has his mutant powers."

Nate said nothing for several minutes, but when he did speak, Neena had her answer. Though Nate had said nothing, he'd known about his children.

"What happened?"

"He fought off a mental attack meant to kill him when he was a little over a year old. I didn't find out until a couple weeks ago," explained Neena. She'd leave the magic part of the story for another time.

"Is he alright?"

"Seems to be. Hannah hasn't shown any signs of being a mutant yet, but if Harry has his powers already, would she as well?"

"Hannah? Harry?"

"Our son, Harry-well, Henry, technically-and his twin sister, Hannah."

It seemed that there were some things that Nate didn't know. Had he even been aware of the genders of his children, let alone the number?

"Most mutant powers don't become active until puberty, unless the child was born with active powers." He paused. "They can also become active in high stress or life threatening situations."

"Oh." Though Neena had had contact with a number of mutants in her life, exactly how or when they got their powers was not something generally talked about.


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I know, it's been a very long time since my last update. I have no excuse, beyond lack of inspiration. A couple notes:

1) I know the Lovegood thing is a bit out there, but it's where my mind went.

2) You'll find out exactly what Harry's mutant powers are in the next chapter.

3) I know the confrontation at the end could be taken as a bit out of character, but please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks Xavier is a manipulative ass. And you know, not somebody to be trusted. With that in mind, the incident might make a bit more sense. Particularly since we're dealing with Nathan's nine year old son. That's all I have to say on the subject.

4) I've changed my mind about pairings again, but you won't find out what I mean for a while yet.

5) Oh, I almost forgot. I know, the astral plane might be reaching, a bit, but don't deny that without the TO virus Nate would be more than capable of entering it whenever he wanted. And if desperate enough-and for that matter, willing enough to sacrifice parts of his body to the virus-he would be able to reach it.

* * *

Chapter 4

Harry said nothing, his eyes blazing.

Hannah glanced between the huge man Neena claimed was her father, Neena, and Harry. After a moment's hesitation, Hannah edged over to harry.

It had been three weeks since Neena had left to find their father. During that time, Harry and Hannah had stayed with Mr. Logan, learning numerous things Remus had never thought to teach his niece. Foremost amongst them, how to track others, avoid being tracked, and how to survive in the wilderness.

Neena had managed to introduce the huge man as their father, Nathan Dayspring before Harry had begun the staring contest. Finally, Harry seemed to be satisfied.

"Hullo," said Harry. "I'm Harry and this is Hannah."

"Hullo," said Hannah, taking her cue from her brother. "When are you two getting married?"

"Huh?" said Nathan as Neena sputtered.

"Well… you're supposed to get married before you have children," explained Hannah. "But since you already have us, I suppose they'll make an exception. After all, better late than never."

"Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon said people should be married to have children too," said Harry. "But they also said I'd be lucky if a prostitute would have sex with me for ten times her normal fee and that no respectable girl would so much as look at me when there were boys like my cousin Dudley around. But they were wrong about a lot of things."

Neena muttered something which sounded suspiciously like "I knew I should have made them suffer more before I killed them," but Hannah was sure that wasn't what she'd said. Although… Harry had said that she'd killed his aunt and uncle.

"Petunia and Vernon were long about a lot of things," said Neena. "I'd ignore everything they told me. So, did you two have fun with Mr. Logan?"

Harry and Hannah nodded, identical smiles on their faces, though Hannah had not forgotten that neither adult had answered her question.

"We got to go hunting," said Harry.

"And make our own camps," added Hannah.

"And play hide and track."

"And fish."

"And skin animals and cook the meat."

"And play track and stalk."

"And play touch the deer before it notices you're there."

"That was a lot of fun," admitted Hannah.

* * *

Anna Ivanova-Lovegood was a mercenary, pure and simple. She cared little about who she worked for and less about their causes. She fulfilled her contract, no more, no less.

Her loyalty hard won, but unwavering. There were only two people still living who had won that loyalty, her husband and her charge.

Crazy though he was, Anna loved Xenophillius more than life itself. They'd started out as enemies. He a member of the Department of Mysteries, attempting to stop the Pavlik Family from gaining a foothold in the British Wizarding underworld. She, the mercenary in charge of security. By the time her contract was up, Anna had decided Xenophillius was the man she would marry, whether he wanted to marry her or not.

The situation with her charge was far more complicated. Nearly two years before, Anna had been contracted to serve as a bodyguard/nanny for the granddaughter of an important associate of HYDRA. Maren Shmidt was the first child she'd ever cared for. And Anna had quickly come to view Maren as her own. It wasn't as if anybody else cared about the girl. Her grandfather had been far too busy to even meet Anna, let alone visit his granddaughter.

Anna could see now that his absence had been for the best. He had, by Anna's measure, done the unforgiveable within moments of arriving for his first visit.

Contract be damned, she would not allow this outrage to continue. In a contest between Anna's obligations and loyalty, loyalty won out. Which was how she found herself doing something which would earn her the eternal ire of HYDRA and the Red Skull.

Ah well. She and Xenophillius had spoken about having children. Anna did hope that he remembered how to properly forge documents. At least they wouldn't have to deal with the adoption process.

* * *

Nathan had thought he was done raising children after Tyler had become a warrior. Aliyah had been incapable of having any more children, no matter the legality. Nathan had not stopped Neena from giving their child-children-to others to raise because he'd felt, as she had, that it was for the best.

And here he was, nearly fifty-physically-with two children under the age of ten.

After two minutes in Harry's presence, Nate had known what was wrong with him. And Neena had good cause to worry. As it was, so much time had passed that Nate wasn't sure he could fix it. And if he couldn't, he would have to go to Charles Xavier for help. Assuming Harry survived his failure. No matter what the Askani believed, Nate would not trust that man with his children.

In the 38th Century, the non-magical peoples were well aware of the existence of

the Wizarding. The wars in the 32nd Century had seen to that. By the 38th Century, what few Wizarding left mainly kept to themselves, hiding first from Apocalypse and later from the Canaanites and Stryfe. However, a number of them did still mingle with those of the non-magical persuasion.

Though Nate had heard of such a thing, he'd never seen a Horcrux attached to a living being before. It was so unusual that at first he had questioned what his powers were telling him.

The description, from Neena about what had happened to harry both explained the Horcrux and raised numerous questions. From what he'd been able to piece together, somebody by the name of Voldemort had attempted to use the Killing curse on Harry when he was an infant, unaware that the spell did would not work properly on a psychic. The spell had rebounded, destroying Voldemort's body and possibly killing him.

It was merely supposition, but Nate was sure that Harry's powers had either activated upon the death's of his adoptive parents or when the curse itself had struck his body. Though his powers had protected him, Harry had no training, and as a result, the Horcrux had been able to affix to his body. More specifically, the scar left from Harry fighting off the curse.

The Horcrux had spent the next eight years very actively suppressing Harry's mutant powers-the threat to its continued existence-while leaving his relatively harmless magical abilities alone. As it was, Nate wasn't sure if Harry would ever be able to use his mutant abilities again, even after the Horcrux was removed.

"How bad is it?"

Nate glanced at his companion. They'd been traveling for the better part of the past day, on their way to one of his safe houses. One he felt was best for what needed to be done. This wasn't something he wanted to do anywhere near other people. As it was, he was hesitant to bring Neena and Hannah along. However, he'd known that Neena would not allow him to take either child somewhere she didn't know about without her.

Satisfied that the twins were asleep, Nate let out a sigh. "Bad. Taking the Horcrux out could kill or cripple him."

"But…" said Neena, giving him a look that made it clear that he had to have a very good reason for attempting to remove the Horcrux.

"If it's left, it could… grow in power. Affect his brain adversely. Give Voldemort the ability to enter Harry's mind. As it is, his mutant abilities are suppressed. They may never recover. His magical abilities could be next."

"How…"

"I've seen what the Unforgivables do to psychics before."

"They both have magic," Neena said, after several minutes silence. "From my side. They'll be going to Hogwarts in two years."

He'd heard of Hogwarts before. Whispers of the lost school of magic. Where once, the best of the best had been trained. It had been destroyed a millennia before he'd entered the 38th century.

"I've never seen you with a wand," said Nathan, testing the waters. Trying to pry information about Neena's past from her was always fraught with danger.

"That's because I don't have one."

"Are you an exile or a…" He trailed off, noting the look upon her face.

Logan had found her as a teenager in Madripor. She'd been in the fighting pits at the time. He felt slightly ill. Nate had wondered in the past if her family had kicked her out for being a mutant. He'd never suspected the opposite was true. Even in the war tarn era he'd come from, children were too precious to consider disowning for having-or not having-powers.

It seemed to be the end of that line of questioning. Far more of his questions had been answered than he thought possible. From at least part of why she did not speak of her family or childhood to the probable reasons why she didn't use her real name.

* * *

"I thought we were going to try to have a child the traditional way."

"So did I," shrugged Anna.

"So, what's your name?" asked Xenophillius.

The small blonde gave him a slightly unfocussed look and tilted her head to the side. "It's supposed to be Maren but I don't like Ares."

"Well, in that case, we'll have to think about a different name," said Anna. She had a feeling her charge-no, daughter-would fit right in.

"What about Minerva or perhaps Vesta."

"Or Luna or Venus."

* * *

It had taken quite a bit for Nate to convince Neena to take Hannah out for the day. But he didn't want to put them at risk. There was a very real possibility that Harry's powers would lash out when Nathan removed the Horcrux. Or after.

As it was, Neena had only agreed because the children needed proper winter clothing and something resembling school books. Not to mention that Harry was in need of pants that didn't have holes worn into the knees.

Nate waited until Harry relaxed on the couch before entering his mind. Though he had a mental shield, it seemed that the shield was ever being torn by the Horcrux. Feeling his way around where the Horcrux was connected to Harry's mind, Nate tried to decide the best way to remove it. Unfortunately, it seemed to be semi-aware. Leaving him but one option; to disconnect it all at once and chance hurting Harry. The slower, more careful method would only leave openings for the Horcrux to attack, to dig itself in deeper.

* * *

Harry blinked, trying to figure out what had happened. One minute he was waiting for something-he wasn't sure what, neither his mother or father had explained why they were so worried-and the next he was… well, Harry wasn't really sure where he was.

He tilted his head to the side, looking this way and that. He moved a half step back as he saw movement. A strange, bald man was floating toward him, an intent look upon his face. Harry glanced around, but saw no place to hide. Then again, maybe the man could help… Harry quickly dismissed that thought.

"Hello, young man," said the bald man.

"Hullo," Harry said, barely remembering his manners.

"Are you lost?"

"No," Harry lied.

"There you are!" interrupted a familiar voice, deceptively cheerful.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He momentarily wondered why his father was pretending to be happy, but dismissed the thought. He'd find out later.

"Thanks for looking out for him, Charles. I'll take it from here."

The bald man-Charles-gave him a measuring look. "It's good to see you again, Nathan."

"Can we go home now, Dad?" asked Harry, desperately wanting to leave this strange place.

"I wasn't aware you had a son," said Charles. "If he needs help with his powers-"

"His mother and I have the situation under control," interrupted Nathan.

Charles gave him a look that made it clear he did not fully believe him, before nodding. "You should visit. Bring the family along. It's been far too long."

"Maybe. Goodbye, Charles. Come on Harry, I'll show you how to return to your body."


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: I have a couple this time.

1. NO matter what Anna Ivanova-Lovegood may think, she does NOT know all the facts. Nor has she met some of the people she's thought about. So, her views of what may or may not have happened are influenced by what she thinks she knows.

2. I would love to concentrate on Nate and Dom's relationship, complicated mess that it is, but that would take too much time. So it gets skimmed over a bit.

3. I know Steve Rogers would never do what seems to have been suggested in this chapter by Anna. Trust me, he didn't do what she thinks he did. Nor does he know about this particular Red Skull related plot. Yet.

4. I know this chapter's a bit on the short side, but it seemed the appropriate place to stop. The action will start happening in the next chapter or so.

* * *

Chapter 5

It took some trial and error, even with patient instruction for Harry to figure out how to return to his body. He felt himself ooze back into his body, his mind, and breathed a sigh of relief. The astral plane was definitely something to be avoided.

His eyes snapped open at the sound of a grunt. Harry sat up and turned to look at the source of the noise. He stared in horror, unsure of what to do.

Nate lay on the ground, mouth set in a grim line as his body twitched, the only sign of his agony. His left eye glowed ominously, though his eyelids were shut. Nate's metal arm and leg seemed almost to pulse.

Harry stood and then stopped short. He felt woozy. Pushing past his dizziness, he stumbled over to his father. Harry knelt near Nate, unsure of what to do. If his mother had been there, he would have gone to her, but she was supposed to be in town all day. Harry reached out, intending to touch Nate, but at the last moment, instinct caused him to snap his arm back.

What seemed like an eternity later, Nate's body relaxed. Slowly he unclenched, his eye returning to normal. The metal calmed, and seemed almost to retreat from the area where Nate's neck met his shoulder.

"Dad?" asked Harry, finally daring to break the silence. "Are you alright?"

Nate let out a gasp, then managed to say. "It's alright, I'm fine."

"Do you want me to get you something?"

"Water."

Harry nodded and ran off. They were in a small, nondescript mountain cabin several miles away from the town of Petersberg, on Mitkof Island. Mitkof Island was located in the southern part of Alaska that bordered British Columbia.

The cabin itself was deceptively large. From the outside, it appeared to be a small cabin with perhaps two rooms and a loft with a woodshed next to it. The back wall part of the mountain itself. However, several tunnels led from the back wall of the cabin into the mountain itself, wherein Nate had an entire complex, complete with armory, airstrip, a tunnel to a hidden cove with several boats moored, a garage, and some of the most advanced technology of the 38th and 20th centuries.

Harry filled a glass with water, then returned to his father. By that point, Nate was sitting up, looking far better than he had moments before.

* * *

Anna had yet to decide whether Luna's personality was the result of genetic or what her grandfather had put her though. She was a sweet, intelligent girl. However, her grip on reality was almost as questionable as Xenophillius'. Neither was Anna sure where Luna's love of-and skill with-art, particularly drawing, came from. Although she had a very good idea.

After Luna's first month with them, Anna had felt she'd no choice but to enroll Luna in a local art program. As it was, most of the storage space in the girl's room was full of drawings, paintings, and art supplies.

Luna-formerly Maren Shmidt-Lovegood was, from what Anna understood, the daughter of Synthia Shmidt. Having met the woman several times, Anna had considered it her duty to keep Luna-then Maren-as far from her psychotic mother as possible.

Synthia's father, Johann Shmidt, better known as the Red Skull, made his daughter look quite sane in comparison. The monster had artificially aged Luna some five to seven years. The machine used had simultaneously brainwashed/"educated"/mentally matured the girl. Though what long term effects that would have on Luna, Anna didn't know.

Then again, Luna's biological father seemed the relatively sane sort. Anna didn't know how the man could have gotten involved with a lunatic like Synthia. He appeared to have some sort of connection with SHIELD, though it was distant. The man was a former Army Sergeant from Brooklyn, New York, turned professional artist.

Anna had noticed almost immediately that Luna had magic. She'd said nothing to her superiors, intending to tell Luna's mother or grandfather about the incidents of accidental magic instead. However, she'd never had to chance. And Anna was very grateful that she'd never told.

As it was, they'd already hidden deep within the Wizarding. Xenophillius had spent most of the most of the past three months creating Luna's identity and adding her to the Hogwarts registry. They'd originally intended to claim that Luna was eight, but at her insistence-and puppy dog eyes-they'd said she was nine instead.

* * *

The weather was so harsh, and the population so low, that nobody thought it odd that Harry and Hannah were homeschooled. Petersberg had a good school, but both Nate and Neena had thought the twins' time could be better spent.

Nobody took much notice of Nate or Neena's frequent… business trips. Either one of them stayed behind to care for the twins, or they took the twins with them.

What powers Harry would have had without Voldemort's interference would noever be known. However, what was left of Harry's mutant powers were, in Nate's opinion, quite formidable-with proper training.

Growing up, Nate had known that Slym and Redd Dayspring were his adoptive parents. But watching Harry use his powers, Nate was quite sure that there was much had had not been told.

Usually a mutant had but one power. There were, however, exceptions. On top of his abilities as a telepath, Harry was also able to shoot red, optic beams out of his eyes. In fact, Harry was learning to control his telepathy far quicker than the optic beams-despite the fact that his beams were in many ways, far simpler. But he'd only had access to his mutant powers for eight months. It would take a while for him to properly master them.

Hannah did not yet have her mutant abilities, not that it mattered much to Nate or Neena. She was still very young. Hannah, however, was a bit annoyed by her lack of mutant powers, and Nate had caught her reminding herself that at least she had enough magic to be a witch, unlike her mother, on several occasions.

Nate and Neena rarely spent more than a week or so per month in the same place at the same time. Generally, they took turns taking jobs, with one of them remaining behind with the children to watch them and continue their education.

As it was, their relationship was in a place it had never been in before. While they had been going at it like rabbits for the better part of the past eleven years, their relationship itself had generally wavered between friendship and something a bit more on the romantic side. The situation more complicated by the presence of the twins, Nate found himself somewhere between friendship, and something more-something more delicate and permanent and long lasting than any relationship he'd been in since before or after Aliyah.

"What about Logan?" asked Nate.

"He's involved in some sort of crisis with that militant group of his," said Neena. "And it'll be the full moon soon, which means Remus is out."

They both had jobs coming up, unfortunately, their schedules conflicted to the point where they had to find a babysitter. Normally, the twins were sent to stay either with Logan or Remus when this happened.

"Who else do we know?" Nate left unspoken the need for the babysitter to be trustworthy.

"What about Theo or G.W.?"

Nate was silent for a long moment before he said, "Do you remember that they hate me now?"

"You left them to die. Of course they hate you. But they don't hate me. I won't mention you when I ask."

* * *

The man known as G.W. Bridge stared in amazement. This was certainly unexpected. In all the time he'd spent, working with Domino as part of the Six Pack, he'd never suspected that she could even pretend to be the maternal type. Not that it changed the fact that she had two, ten year old children who clearly loved her and felt safe around her.

Once he'd figured out the timing, G.W. had realized they were Cable's children. Not that he'd hold it against the twins. What Dom had done with the twins while part of the Six Pack, he didn't know, nor did he care.

"They eat anything," explained Dom. "Make sure they have their knives, tracking chips, and radios on them at all times. Harry's not allowed to use his powers unless it's a life or death situation. If he uses his telepathy or his optic blasts, he's not allowed to play with Hannah or do anything for entertainment beyond reading his school books. Oh, make sure they do their homework. I wrote it out what they're supposed to do while I'm gone for you."

G.W. found himself holding a think file of papers, wondering if perhaps, he'd gotten in over his head. This was certainly a side to Dom he'd never seen before. And part of him couldn't help but think it might well be the scariest he'd ever seen her.

"Make sure they practice their hand to hand and their knife work. I've started teaching them about explosives and firearms, but haven't had a chance to get too far. Feel free to add to what I've taught them. Make sure they spend at least two hours outside every day. Keep Hannah away from your computer-she thinks hacking is the greatest thing since C4. I should be back in three weeks. If you don't hear from me within the month, send them to Logan. And make sure he gets them."

"Dom, enough," said G.W. "They'll be fine."

Dom finally nodded, before adding, "Keep them away from Fury." She paused, giving him a grateful smile. "Thanks for doing this."

"It's no problem. Really."

* * *

By the end of the first week, G.W. had come to the conclusion that Harry and Hannah were their mother's children. Through and through.

Unfortunately, that wasn't necessarily a good thing. It was nearly impossible to get them to pay attention to anything that could not be put to use in a fight. Although G.W. had had some fun trying to think of uses for grammar and literature, finally settling on pointing out that they could correct their enemies' grammar midspeech, throwing the person off, and make obscure literary references that would confuse their less well read foes. That particular idea had entertained Harry to the point that he began to analyze the symbolism of Beowulf, much to his sister's annoyance.

They were children. And they generally acted like children. Though it was obvious that Harry's childhood had been rougher than his sister's.

That however, did not change the fact that Dom had been teaching them to fight. Short of child soldiers, G.W. had never before encountered children so skilled. However, he did have to admit that they were so obviously untested in was almost painful. It seemed that though Dom had been teaching her children the tricks of the trade, she'd done her best to keep them shielded from the horrors of the world. G.W. couldn't bring himself to fault her for that.

G.W. didn't know when they would be tested-there was no question of if-but he rather hoped they would survive intact. He'd become rather fond of the children during the time he'd spent with them.

* * *

Luna stared intently at her suitcase, as if willing it to change. It was nearly Christmas and her family had decided to go on vacation. She'd never been on a vacation before, and was unsure what to pack.

They were going to someplace called Vermont to go skiing. Luna wasn't sure what skiing was or for that matter, where Vermont was, however, she was sure she'd have a very good time.

Finally, Luna packed a number of winter outfits, including what few pairs of trousers she possessed, her boots, and her thick winter dresses. Happily realizing that there was still more room left in her suitcase, she set about trying to decide which art supplies to bring with her.

Doubtless her parents would take pictures of their vacation. But Luna wanted to be able to draw while she was there. Surely she would encounter something worth her attention.


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Ok, I wouldn't have agreed to do this otherwise, but so many people have asked, so:

For information about Domino, go to:

www(dot)the(dash)family(dash)archives(dot)com(slash)chainreaction(slash)

For information on the Six Pack, formerly the Wild Pack:

http(colon)(slash)(slash)www(dot)uncannyxmen(dot)net(slash)db(slash)pov(slash)showquestion(dot)asp(question mark)faq(equal sign)6&fldAuto(equal sign)54

For a very good version of the Summers family tree in all its disturbing glory:

http(colon)(slash)(slash)www(dot)uncannyxmen(dot)net(slash)db(slash)article(slash)showquestion(dot)asp(question mark)faq(equals sign)8&fldAuto(equals sign)66

2. Please don't ask me to put information about the characters in the chapter again. If you want, I can e-mail you information, but I won't do this again. Please, don't make me repeat myself.

* * *

Chapter 6

Harry wandered slowly, his sister close by. G.W. seemed to be a bit annoyed, but Harry ignored him. It had, after all, been G.W.'s idea to visit the American Museum of Natural History.

He was sure it was just because of how crowded the Hall of Saurishian Dinosaurs was. It seemed that since it was so close to Christmas break, several local schools had decided to have a field trip to Museum. G.W. probably just didn't want to deal with the several hundred children running around.

Knowing his sister was tired, he allowed Hannah to pull him over to the brontosaurus exhibit. Though it wasn't really a bench, a blonde girl around their age was seated upon the ledge that ran around the exhibit. Hannah sat down several feet from the girl. Seeing no other place to sit, Harry flopped down between the two.

The blonde girl had a sketch pad in hand and was busy drawing with a piece of charcoal. It took Harry but a second to decide she was not there on a school trip. The students were being led by far too quickly by teachers and tour guides for any of them to have time to draw.

He leaned over to look at what his neighbor was drawing. He blinked. Even at ten, Harry knew that most children his age were incapable of producing very good drawings. But his neighbor's sketch of a tyrannosaurus rex skeleton was a strikingly accurate depiction of the exhibit in front of them.

The girl gave him a disapproving look with her silvery eyes, raising one colorless eyebrow, pursing her lips. Her equally colorless long hair fell in messy, straggly ringlets to her waist. She had pale skin, though was by no means as pale as Harry, let alone Hannah.

Her clothing gave Harry a jolt. He'd not expected to see one of the Wizarding in so muggle a place. She wore a pale pink sleeveless robe which buttoned in the front over a high necked tan under dress. Upon her feet were doe skinned boots, that seemed to have been made in the traditional way. Harry had to hand it to whoever had picked out the girl's clothing. With it on, she could pass, not only for a pureblood, but also for a Muggle.

"Sorry," said Harry, having decided to try to befriend the girl. He'd never met a witch his age other than his sister. "Which enclave are you from?"

Her eyes widened. "The British. Ottery St. Catchpole. Are you from one of the local enclaves?"

So she'd be a classmate as well… unless homeschooled in magic. "My sister and I live in the US, but we were born in Godric's Hollow. Hannah, c'mere."

"What?" asked Hannah, edging over to Harry.

"I'm Harry Dayspring and this is my twin, Hannah."

"It's nice to meet you," said the girl. "I'm Luna Lovegood. Are you two going to go to Salem or…"

"Mum wants us to go to Hogwarts," explained Harry. "Dad doesn't care, he's a Muggle."

Luna nodded, a knowing look upon her face. "My mother went to Durmstrang. She says I'd get a better education there, but it's safer at Hogwarts."

Catching on to what was going on, Hannah said, "We should get our letters this summer. What about you? Do you know what House you want to be in?"

"Well, the House system is incredibly flawed. It only adds to the discord within the Wizarding world," pointed out Luna. "So long as my house isn't infested with nargles, I don't care."

The twins laughed at that. According to their father, nargles were parasites that entered a person's brains through their ears and ate their minds while they were still alive. Nargles seemed to prefer to eat the parts of the brain that controlled emotions and skills. It was a great insult to imply that somebody had a problem with nargles.

* * *

Luna felt her heart stop as a sound echoed throughout the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs. A scream of pain from a voice she knew far too well.

She'd originally intended to leave once her sketch of the tyrannosaurus rex skeleton was done, but she'd gotten so caught up in her conversation with the Dayspring twins that she'd decided to stay a bit longer. As it was, they'd been talking for the better part of the past hour.

She and her parents were taking a day to see the sites in New York City before driving up to Vermont. They'd landed at JFK the day before.

"…una? Luna, can you hear me?" asked Harry.

She nodded hesitantly. "I need to-I need to go."

"O-of course," said Hannah. "It was nice to meet you."

Luna stood, slipping her sketchpad and piece of charcoal into her bag. She turned toward the source of the scream, mind on autopilot and began to walk.

A hand grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her back. It took Luna a moment of struggling, scratching, and biting to realize the hand belonged to Harry. Once that was realized, she stopped, going limp.

He gave her a hard look. "Where are you going, Luna?"

"Let me go," begged Luna, almost in tears.

"Are you in trouble?"

Luna shook her head and then abruptly began to nod. She allowed Harry to push he back against the ledge, shielding her body with his own. Hannah looked anywhere but at them, almost as if standing guard.

"Luna, what's going on?" demanded Harry.

"Don't let them see me," whispered Luna. "I won't go back. I can't. I'd kill myself first."

The three children ignored the men busy securing entrances and exits, too caught up in their own little drama.

After several silent moments which felt like an eternity, Harry said, "Hannah, go find Mr. Bridge. I need to take care of this."

"No. Not without me," insisted Hannah.

Harry let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll go tell Mr. Bridge not to worry and we'll get out of here."

"B-bu-"

"And I'll ask him to rescue your mother."

With that, Harry disappeared into the crowd. Luna sat down heavily. How had he known that some of the Red Skull's men had found her mother? That they were doubtless torturing Anna for Luna's location at this moment? Luna knew she hadn't told him.

A couple minutes later, Harry returned. Luna's eyes widened as he handed some sort of handgun to Hannah along with a couple… were those grenades?

"Thank you," said Luna as Harry handed her a sheathed knife he'd pulled from his waistband. Luna quickly put it in her boot, the hilt just reachable. "How did you get those past the metal detectors?"

"Trade secret," said Hannah. "A better question would be how did you get Mr. Bridge to agree?"

Harry shrugged. "I told him we were going to so this with or without his help." He looked around, examining the guards at each entrance. "Come on, we need to be by that door."

* * *

Hannah followed Harry's lead. He'd sent her the basics of his plan telepathically right before his return. It wasn't the best plan, but it was simple and something Hannah knew they could do. Even with some civilian girl tagging along.

"Don't let go, no matter what happens," said Harry, taking Luna's hand.

Already knowing the plan, Hannah took Luna's other hand. "Try not to make any too much noise, either."

The plan was for Harry to use his telepathy to made the enemy and the civilians think they weren't there and walk right by. If need be, they would fight their way out. But neither she nor Harry wanted to do so unless left with no other choice.

The moved slowly, somewhat awkwardly. But Hannah knew it was easier for Harry if they were touching.

* * *

"Well?"

Nick Fury, commander of SHIELD shook his head. "The Red Skull hasn't made any demands. We don't know why he's holding the museum hostage."

"This doesn't seem like him," said Steve Rogers, the man known as Captain America. "Do you have anything?"

"Col. Fury!" shouted one of the SHIELD agents. "Agent Bridge just contacted us. He was in the museum-the dinosaur exhibit-when the Red Skull arrived."

Nick quickly grabbed the offered radio from the agent. Codes were exchanged before Agent Bridge agreed to talk.

"The hostages aren't important," explained Bridge. "They may be a distraction. The Red Skull wanted a woman-Anna Ivanova-Lovegood. He's torturing her now. Her daughter-Luna, I think-said Ivanova broke her contract with the Red Skull a little over a year ago."

"Is the girl with you?" asked Captain America.

"No. She's hiding somewhere in here."

* * *

Harry let out a gasp as he let go of the telepathic shields and misdirection. They were in a deserted hallway.

"Let's try a ladies room-most have windows," said Hannah. "The doors would be too well guarded."

Harry nodded. "Which way?"

"Hey! How did you brats get here?!"

"Shit," muttered Harry, pushing Luna behind him while drawing the gun he'd gotten from G.W.

"Flonqing bad luck," agreed Hannah.

A quick glance at Hannah out of the corner of his eye showed that her hand was on a grenade. In front of them stood two heavily armed men Harry labeled Merc. 1 and Merc. 2.

"We lost our tour group!" wailed Hannah. "And we don't know where our teacher is!"

She them proceeded to break into tears. Harry had forgotten how good Hannah was at crying on command.

"I want Mrs. Wifflebottom," added a tearful Luna, getting in on the act.

"I wanna go back to school!" cried Harry.

Merc. 1 and Merc. 2 shared a look before Merc. 2 reached for his radio. Knowing this action would end in a fight, Harry telepathically sent the word _Now! _to his sister.

Harry whipped out his gun and got off two shots-one at each man as Hannah threw the grenade. Hannah broke into a run, Harry a half step behind her, his left hand grasping Luna's arm within a vice-like grip.

They'd just managed to run around a corner into a dead end when the grenade went off. Hannah skidded to a stop as Harry stopped short, Luna crashing into his back. Harry stumbled, barely managing to keep his feet.

At the end of the hallway stood two more guards. They guards and the children stared at each other. A moment later Merc. 3 and Merc. 4 went flying, as if thrown by some invisible force.

Who had done that? Harry knew he had too much control to do something like that accidentally. But there was no time to answer that question now.

"C'mon," growled Harry. "We need to get out. Now."

"The-the ladies room is right here," said Hannah.

Learning from his previous mistake, Harry scanned the area with his telepathy. "It's clear."

The three entered the small ladies room, looking around cautiously. The found a barred window, barely large enough for them to squeeze out through.

"Hannah, you pick the lock, I'll keep watch."

It was then that Harry noticed how bad Hannah looked. She was pale and clammy and pasty, as if ill. She wobbled slightly, as if she might keel over.

"I can pick the lock," volunteered Luna.

Harry gave Luna a hard look. Gone was the dreamy, unfocussed gaze. In its place was the face of a girl Harry wasn't sure he recognized. He handed Luna a few pieces of wire, then gave her a boost so that she could stand on the radiator. The window was too high for it to be reached by the children in any other way.


End file.
